Linear and nonlinear rheology of two dimensional polymers - a Brownian dynamics study

Equilibrium properties and steady shear rheology of two-dimensional polymers are studied by Brownian dynamics simulation. In the case of isolated polymer chains, they are swollen due to the strong excluded volume interaction. In the case of 2d polymer "melts", on the other hand, various exponents describing equilibrium behaviors agree with those of the Rouse model, although the polymer chains are segregated into disk-like shapes. At high shear rates, the behavior or the viscosity and the normal stress difference is similar to that of un-entangled 3d polymer melts.